The present invention relates to a device used as a chemical reactor or heat exchanger in general, with a thin tube plate. The present invention also applies to petrochemical and refinery reactors.
Chemical reactors generally consist of large-sized containers inside of which chemical reactions take place at a high temperature and high pressure. The substantially cylindrical body of the chemical reactors generally have a plurality of pipes or tube bundles which carry out various functions, such exchanging heat between two or more operating fluids. These tube bundles are installed and retained in their operative position by tube plates, which in some cases have a large surface area.
Conventional tube plates are produced in a single piece or in several welded pieces. The plates are then finished by drilling or machining. The tube plates are usually designed with a sufficient thickness to withstand the loads expected to be applied to the plates and reactors.
The loads applied to the tube plates may be due to weight, pressure and/or temperatures in an operating chemical reactor. The loads can generate high levels of stresses in the plates. To withstand these stresses, the plates have been made relatively thick. But a thick tube plate may be technically unfeasible in some applications. Where a thin tube plate is needed, then the plates can be thinned and supported with added strength enhancing elements. Various methods for strengthening tube plates are known according to the state of the art. Design codes are also known which regulate the dimensional criteria for the plates and for strengthening the latter.
In general the known tube plate strengtheners consist of reinforcement ribs, which are welded to the thin plates such as to limit the deformations and stresses to which the plates are subjected. These strengtheners are costly and their size, by reducing considerably the useful space for insertion of the tubes on the plates, leads to a significant increase in the diameter of the plates themselves and consequently in the overall diameter of the equipment.
In one embodiment, the present invention eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages and in particular to provide a device which is used as a chemical reactor or heat exchanger in general, with a thin tube plate, which makes it possible to reduce the costs of construction of the device itself. This embodiment provides a device which is used as a chemical reactor or heat exchanger in general. The embodiment includes a thin tube plate which lightens the device and facilitates its installation.
The embodiment also provides a thin tube plate device for use as a chemical reactor or heat exchanger which is safe and reliable when installed. The embodiment further provides a device for use as a chemical reactor or heat exchanger in general with a thin tube plate which is simple and functional.